3-D Printer Homes Update

Back in March, I wrote a story about 3-D printer homes as an affordable new building technique that could help ease the housing affordability crisis. Being intrigued by this technique and passionate about affordable housing, I was curious if there had been any new developments.

Like all new construction alternatives, building officials will need to issue permits—which will currently require additional groundwork to develop standards for the technique. This is a dilemma also faced by other housing alternatives, such as tiny homes, which don't fit into traditional building criteria and delay the start of projects.

A recent report in The Guardian reported on a 3D-printed housing development planned in The Netherlands. Five homes are being constructed in Eindhoven and will be completed in 2019. The final home will be three stories, with three bedrooms. Builders plan to use the 3-D printer to install drainage pipes. The technology also has the possibility of placing wireless sensors into the walls and making it a "smart" home.

Additionally, Win Sun, a private Chinese company, has reportedly built 10 homes in one day at a cost of $5,000 per home using a mixture of cement and construction waste.

Proponents and developers of this technique cite that aside from the low cost, this method allows the construction of customizable buildings of almost any shape. People will be able to customize the home the way they want. It's expected to become a fairly mainstream building technique within the next five years.